Such types of medium processing apparatus include, for example, automated teller machines (referred to below as “ATMs”) for depositing and dispensing bills (banknotes), serving as a paper medium, and installed in branches of financial institutions, convenience stores, gasoline stands, supermarkets and the like.
Among ATMs, there are some ATMs configured to, in a dispensing transaction, collect dispensing bills in a money depositing and dispensing port, this being a medium handover port, open a shutter of the money depositing and dispensing port, and also raise dispensing bills so as to externally expose the dispensing bills from the money depositing and dispensing port in order to facilitate removal of the dispensing bills by a user.
Such a bill raising means is, for example, configured as described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.
The bill raising means described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 9-221239) couples a bottom plate to a “slider” that is coupled to a timing belt and for moving along a vertical slider axis direction, a gripped state is adopted with a press plate pressed against dispensing bills by using a parallel link mechanism, and the dispensing bills are raised together with the bottom plate in this state by forward rotating the timing belt.
Whereas, in the bill raising means described in Patent Document 2 (JP-A No. 2002-329229), the dispensing bills are placed in a gripped state sandwiched from right and left by a pantograph mechanism, the dispensing bills are raised in this state by forward rotating a conveying belt.
However, sometimes dispensing bills adhere to the inside of the depositing and dispensing port in an ATM. When dispensing bills have adhered to the inside of the depositing and dispensing port (and in particular at the far side of the apparatus), a user is no longer able to smoothly remove the dispensing bills from the depositing and dispensing port.
Furthermore, in cases where a user is, for example, an elderly person, someone with impaired vision, or the like, sometimes the user cannot immediately ascertain the position of the dispensing bills.
For these reasons, sometimes a user cannot quickly remove the dispensing bills from the depositing and dispensing port.
When dispensing bills have not been removed from the depositing and dispensing port for a specific duration or longer, the AIM emits an alarm nose at the periphery of the depositing and dispensing port, prompting the user to remove the dispensing bills. However, in cases where a use is, for example, an elderly person, someone with impaired hearing, or the like, the user sometimes cannot hear the alarm sound or falters in their response.
As a result dispensing bills are left for a long duration inside the depositing and dispensing port.
When dispensing bills have not been removed from the depositing and dispensing port for a predetermined bill removal duration or longer, the ATM determines that the dispensing bills have been left behind, and forgotten dispensing bill processing is performed. In such cases, the ATM reverse rotates the belt (for example, the timing belt in Patent Document 1 or the conveying belt in Patent Document 2), lowering the dispensing bills. The ATM thereby houses the dispensing bills inside the depositing and dispensing port. When the dispensing bills have been housed within the depositing and dispensing port, the ATM shuts the shutter of the depositing and dispensing port, and conveys the dispensing bills from inside the depositing and dispensing port to a removal forgotten cassette within the machine, and stores the dispensing bills in the forgot cassette as forgotten bills.